Stephen Ward

Stephen Ward (19 October 1912-3 August 1963) was an English osteopath and artist whose "procuration" of the 19-year-old topless model Christine Keeler for Secretary of State for War John Profumo led to the 1963 Profumo affair. Ward overdosed on sleeping pills before he could be found guilty.

Biography
Stephen Ward was born in Lemsford, Hertfordshire, England in 1912, and he became an osteopath in London in 1945. He had many distinguished clients, including Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and his personal secretary Mike Parker. Ward also earned money from sketched portraits of his clients, and his work and his portraits brought him considerable social success. At a party hosted at the Astor family's house in Cliveden in the summer of 1961, Ward introduced Secretary of State for War John Profumo to the 19-year-old topless showgirl and model Christine Keeler. Ward was also friends with the Soviet naval attache Yevgeny Ivanov, who also had a sexual relationship with Keeler, and a love triangle developed between Ivanov, Keeler, and Profumo. These relationships were kept secret until 1963, when the deterioration of Keeler's personal life led to the discovery of her lovers, including Profumo and Ivanov. The newspapers publicized these relationships, and the government saw them as constituting a national security risk. Profumo was forced to resign from all of his offices, and, in June 1963, Ward was sentenced to immorality offenses and sent to trial. In the trial that followed, Ward lost all of his friends and was treated with hostility by the prosecuting counsel and judge. Most of the charges against Ward were dismissed, but he was convicted on two counts of living off immoral earnings. Before the verdict was announced, Ward took an overdose of sleeping pills and died three days later.